Woah! Now that’s not what Ohio State Buckeyes QB Will Howard thought his life would look like lately. It looks like someone had pressed the ‘FLIP THE LUCK’ button as Howard caught all the bad juju. Sadly, the NFL Combine turned out to be the biggest blunder. Enough to lose out on all the glitz and glamor. Maybe, people will take a lot of time to get over it. For now, an NFL Network analyst dished out his take on Howard as his fate in the $7.8 billion NFL giant has hit the pause button. At the same time, he will have to either make it or break it in the OSU pro-day.
Ever since Will Howard had been the protagonist in leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the playoffs, the spotlight has turned on him. But it took him one performance, just ONE, and all the fame – puff – vanished! The only word that is found after or before Howard’s name is ‘worst’. Yes, going by the fans’ views, the NFL prospect had the ‘worst combine performance of all time’. The 23-year-old landed a 31.5” vertical jump and a 9’4” broad jump during the on-field drills. However, Howard’s poor showing went viral on X. The 46-second clip was enough to summarize his feat. It showed the QB missing open receivers on seven throws. Now as the world goes against Howard, here enters analyst Daniel Jeremiah with a ‘still some hope left’ stance for the QB.
Kurt Warner knows ball
“Will Howard will have a chance to throw to his guys at his pro day..
Who knows Will Howard better than Chip Kelly in Las Vegas” ~ @MoveTheSticks #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/0m03kTLjYo
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 7, 2025
On the Pat McAfee Show, Jeremiah stated, “Look, Pat, he didn’t throw it great there. I don’t think you can help yourself at the Combine.” However, he is not punishing him for what he has put up as it’s a “weird atmosphere” in Combine. That’s because players are throwing to guys they don’t know. Finally, some positive news for Howard, as Jeremiah said, “You get a chance at just Pro Day to throw to guys he knows and he’s familiar with I think you’ll see him throw it better.” In that way, Howard finds himself a place in the ‘2025 QB Draft Class’ conversation with Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough. Well, Jeremiah already has a picture in his mind about Howard’s NFL destination.
He also thinks there are high chances of a Howard x Las Vegas Raiders collab. However, the Ohio State QB will only stand a chance if they “aren’t super active in addressing the veteran side of things.” Well, already Raiders are said to be having Aaron Rodgers waiting in their cart. But they might also opt for a “stopback quarterback.” Jeremiah concluded how an Ohio State’s connection could bridge the NFL giant with the QB. However, it all depends on the D-Day.
NFL legend backs Will Howard but Pro Day will be his true test
Already Howard has been the hero of his Ohio State Buckeyes chapter. And turns out that he is still savoring the fame no matter how low his Combine notes had hit. For instance, former NFL superstar QB Kurt Warner has weighed in with his thoughts on Howard. On March 7, he made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. And he only had good words to share about Howard. But again, Warner too looks forward to the Pro Day for the Buckeyes QB to erase the dark chapter.
“Will Howard will have a chance to throw to his guys at his Pro Day. Who knows Will Howard better than Chip Kelly in Las Vegas,” shared Warner. Yes, no doubt the QB has been Kelly’s favorite. Did you know the former HC has given his favorite QB a nickname? He called Howard “one-legged Willy.” But probably it won’t take much time for the soft corner to turn into hard feelings if QB’s Pro Day performance turns awry.
Here comes the last chance narrative. The weight of his Pro Day got 100x heavier. And Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport didn’t sugarcoat what the reality holds for Will Howard. “Pro Day has become exponentially more important if Howard wants to be drafted as a top-five quarterback — let alone top three.” He will now have to prove that Ohio State’s championship run was not only about the system, but he himself played a big role. And with this, he hit the ‘PLAY’ button to make his Raiders dream come true, and the time is ticking.
The post NFL Network Analyst Clears Stance on Will Howard’s Combine Blunder as $7.8B Fate at Stake Amid Urgent OSU Pro Day Call appeared first on EssentiallySports.